BENJAMIN_SPENCE CALLER CHAMPAGNE_WALKER CURSTIE_WICKHAM DETECTIVE_BRAD_SHARPE DETECTIVE_GATWOOD DETECTIVE_JEREMY_STILES DETECTIVE_MCCOY DETECTIVE_REGGIE_WALKER DETECTIVE_ROB_MCCOY DETECTIVE_WARREN DETECTIVE_WHITE DETETECTIVE_JASON_WHITE DETETECTIVE_STILES JASON_WHITE KIM_SOWELL_BAKER LIEUTENANT_BRANDON_WATKINS LIEUTENANT_WATKINS NARRATEUR OFFICER OFFICER_ADAM_YERTON OFFICER_BRAD_SHERRILL OFFICER_DEWITT OFFICER_OKEEFE OFFICER_PA OFFICER_RADIO OFFICER_ROB_MCCOY OFFICER_SHERRILL OFFICER_TALLEY OPERATOR ROBERT_CUMMINGS SERENA SERENA_WHITEHEAD SERGENT_WARNE SERGENT_WARNER STACIE_CAMPBELL VICKIE_CUMMINGS OPERATOR do you need police fire or medical? CALLER Police. CALLER They just fired a gunshot. OPERATOR Did you see it happen or just hear it? CALLER I seen the flash from the gunshot. CALLER And I see the people, and I heard the gunshot. CALLER I could still hear screaming. OPERATOR We�ll get officers out there. DETECTIVE WARREN What�s up? OFFICER Is this yours Reggie? DETECTIVE WARREN This is me. OFFICER ADAM YERTON Dispatch got call of a shots fired. Officers arrive and they find someone who had been mauled by some dogs. DETECTIVE WARREN We have the victim�s name? SERGENT WARNE Curtis Wickham. DETECTIVE ROB MCCOY Three pit bulls that were inside the residence attacked the victim and mauled him to death. OFFICER ADAM YERTON That�s where the dogs are. OFFICER ADAM YERTON Three dogs named Boomer, Soomer, and Rosie. Now, the victim is the ex-boyfriend of the homeowner. DETECTIVE WARREN Her name is Champagne. OFFICER Where�s the boyfriend at? OFFICER The dog owner? OFFICER ADAM YERTON He�s in a car down here. DETECTIVE WARREN We got a name? DETECTIVE MCCOY Benjamin. DETETECTIVE STILES They were asking about a search waiver and he flat our refused. OFFICER ADAM YERTON As I understand it, the victim and the female that he was with, came here and were trying to break into the house. OFFICER ADAM YERTON She is still outstanding. DETECTIVE WARREN We need to find the girl who took off. DETECTIVE WARREN Alright, let me kinda look at this scene. OFFICER ADAM YERTON You see the skid? It�s a definite bloody skid mark. Like being dragged. DETECTIVE WARREN That�s a lot of blood. JASON WHITE Yeah. OFFICER ADAM YERTON Here is a shoe. Here�s some clothing. OFFICER TALLEY The dogs literally ripped the clothes off of him. OFFICER ADAM YERTON Found a victim�s ear in the yard. The medical examiner is going to come out to recover that. DETECTIVE WARREN For a dog mauling�. DETECTIVE WARREN � That�s really thick coagulated blood right there. DETECTIVE WARREN Busted TV over there. LIEUTENANT WATKINS Where it gets weird is, the neighbors hear a gunshot. That�s the wrinkle on this one. DETECTIVE MCCOY The 911 caller who is over there, did hear a gunshot, thought the gunshot was from over in this area. DETECTIVE WARREN So if the shot came from over here, then there may be possibly a shell casing someplace. OFFICER ADAM YERTON I�m going to run the metal detector. OFFICER DEWITT There�s a casing in the street. DETECTIVE WARREN We just got to determine if my victim has been shot. OFFICER OKEEFE I snapped a quick photo of the guy before they rolled him. This is all missing skin off the side of his face. DETETECTIVE JASON WHITE Yeah. OFFICER OKEEFE It could have just blown off from the gunshot wound. I don�t know. DETETECTIVE JASON WHITE Could be. It might be a good way to cover it up, or try to. OFFICER OKEEFE Yeah, feed him to a dog. DETECTIVE WARREN And if that�s the case, who fired the shot? OFFICER ROB MCCOY Yeah. DETECTIVE WARREN Lets go over here and look at these doggies man. OFFICER ADAM YERTON The boyfriend does not want us getting inside his car. DETECTIVE WARREN He don�t want us in that car, guess where we are going? OFFICER OKEEFE In that car? DETECTIVE WARREN We�re going to that car! SERGENT WARNER Animal control should be getting here any time. LIEUTENANT BRANDON WATKINS I feel so bad for the dogs! DETECTIVE JEREMY STILES Knight said they got Serena pinned down out west somewhere. DETECTIVE WARREN So they are going to try to grab her up. Jason, I think I�m going to go down there and start talking to Champagne and see if I can start gathering some information. One of the neighbors said they heard a gunshot. So what we want to do now is determine what the victim did die from being eaten by dogs or if the victim had actually sustained a gunshot. Right now I�m waiting on a warrant to get in the car to see if there is a possible gun in there. I�m going to go interview the current homeowner and the boyfriend and try to make some determinations on what happened. DETECTIVE WARREN Gatwood is the west side connection. See, he knows everybody out there. DETECTIVE GATWOOD He calls me the west side connection because being from the west side I have an automatic connection with people out there. Since I grew up in the area and have a good relationship people are willing to share things with me that they wont with a guy on the police department that�s not from that area. And in fact I�ve known all of the players involved for a long time. DETECTIVE WARREN Ben, I�m going to talk to you in just a second. BENJAMIN SPENCE Yeah. DETECTIVE WARREN Sit tight for me Ben. OFFICER BRAD SHERRILL When I patted him down before I put him in the car he had a phone in his back pocket and I just set it on the hood. OFFICER SHERRILL And he said �That�s not my phone.� OFFICER SHERRILL And so I said, �ok, whose phone do you think it is?� and he says �It might be CJ�s.� DETECTIVE WARREN Alright, lets go do it. DETECTIVE WARREN Ok. DETECTIVE WARREN Champagne. CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yes. DETECTIVE WARREN How you doing. I'm Detective Warren. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I'm good how are you? I've been a lot better. DETECTIVE REGGIE WALKER Oh yeah. I get it. I understand. I understand. DETECTIVE REGGIE WALKER Who you living in the house with right now? CHAMPAGNE WALKER My boyfriend Ben. DETECTIVE WARREN Tell me what happened this morning. CHAMPAGNE WALKER Uh, well I was asleep and I heard someone banging on the door and so I woke him up. I was like, "Baby, baby" I said, "Someone's banging on the door." And so then he went in there. When he opened the door, CJ hit him. And the dogs attacked CJ and after that, all we were doing was trying to get the dogs. DETECTIVE WARREN There is lot more that happened at that house. Listen to me. Listen to me okay. Because there�s a lot that happened in between knocked on the door. They started fighting and the dogs-- and then next-- no. For it is too-- somebody's dead. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I understand that but I promise you sir, there was nothing else that happened. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Hey, you hear what Reggie is saying to you? I'm Detective Gatwood, okay. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I know. I know you Officer. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Okay. Listen. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I remember you. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Yeah sweetie. I remember you too. Listen, I remember you when, when you were about that big. But listen, just be forth coming. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I don�t want to get in no trouble. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Exactly. Listen, please. Please do that okay. CHAMPAGNE WALKER Ok. DETECTIVE WARREN You said you heard banging this morning right? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yes, sir. DETECTIVE WARREN What do they want? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Uh, CJ's phone. DETECTIVE WARREN Had CJ's phone been stolen? CHAMPAGNE WALKER No, it hadn't been stolen. It got-- Uh, I don't even know why they thought it was there but we didn�t have CJ�s phone DETECTIVE GATWOOD How long ago were you with CJ, just out of curiosity? CHAMPAGNE WALKER We got together August 3rd, me and CJ did. CHAMPAGNE WALKER We broke up about a month after that. DETECTIVE GATWOOD So do you have a lot of feelings for him? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Mm I mean ki�Kinda. not really. My daughter really liked him. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Right. DETECTIVE WARREN Is CJ still mad about you being with-- CHAMPAGNE WALKER No. We've hung out since then. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Ok. You heard a knock at the door. You tell uh, Ben, somebody's at the door. Go from there. CHAMPAGNE WALKER Okay. So he gets up. He goes in there and I hear yelling. And I see CJ and I see Ben and they�re fighting. The dogs are barking but they haven't attacked CJ yet. DETECTIVE WARREN Okay. CHAMPAGNE WALKER They�re just barking. The fight went into the house and then immediately, the dogs jumped on CJ. He ran out of the house like backwards trying to get away from the dogs and the dogs followed him. And it was just bad, it was all bad. The dogs were just trying to protect us, you know, 'cause he was in the house. DETECTIVE WARREN Okay. Here, now here's a question that I really, really need to know this. I need, I need a real honest answer about this. DETECTIVE WARREN Is there a gun in the house? DETECTIVE GATWOOD Did you ever see a gun? CHAMPAGNE WALKER No sir. I have gun charges. I'm cool on that. No guns. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I heard the gunshot but the gunshot was further away from my house. It wasn't at my house. The neighbors, they shot a gun off. DETECTIVE WARREN Okay. So, when all of this happened, you see the dogs. The dogs are, are on top of, on top of CJ. What was your reaction? What did you do? CHAMPAGNE WALKER I was trying to get the dogs off of him. DETECTIVE WARREN So how did the dogs finally get off of him? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Uh, well we drug CJ into the house and I kept the dogs out, So like I was like hitting the dogs, keeping 'em outside while he was dragging CJ in the house. DETECTIVE WARREN Now, when I get to your house, there's blood near your front gate. CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yes. It went all the way out to there. DETECTIVE WARREN It went all the way out there, so was he trying to get away from the dogs? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yeah. He was backing away. DETECTIVE WARREN How did his clothes come off? CHAMPAGNE WALKER The dogs. They were like ripping them off. DETECTIVE WARREN Really? Okay. How old are those dogs? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Two. They are really good dogs. I mean they're good with my daughter. My daughter can sit there and push on their face and they never snap at her or nothing. DETECTIVE WARREN Right. DETECTIVE REGGIE WALKER Did your daughter see this? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yes. DETECTIVE GATWOOD This baby is probably gonna need to talk to somebody. DETECTIVE WARREN Sit tight for me ok? DETECTIVE GATWOOD They got Serena in custody DETECTIVE GATWOOD I just got a text saying she wants to talk to me. DETECTIVE WARREN You know her? DETECTIVE GATWOOD I know the family. DETECTIVE WARREN Ok, well hell. I think I�m going to talk to her first, And then hit Ben up. Because if I can lock her down on a story then I can really pin Ben down. DETECTIVE GATWOOD You know if she gives the same story that this girl just gave and then Ben gives the same thing, then it was what it was. DETECTIVE WARREN It is what it is. If it just turns out to be hey, this guy was mauled by dogs, then we will just type it up and move on to the next thing. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Let�s go sit down and talk to her. See what she�s got to say. DETECTIVE WARREN I�ll let you do that since you know them. DETECTIVE WARREN I'm Detective Warren. You know Detective Gatwood. And I�m talk to you a little bit about what happened today, okay? SERENA WHITEHEAD Ok DETECTIVE GATWOOD How�s your mom? SERENA WHITEHEAD She's doing all right. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Well when you see her, tell her I said hi. DETECTIVE WARREN I'm sorry what happened to you this morning, okay? I really am. But I need you to do me a favor. I need you to help us figure this thing out, okay. SERENA WHITEHEAD I'll tell you what happened. DETECTIVE WARREN Alright. SERENA Ok. SERENA I�d been, I had been at my friends� SERENA WHITEHEAD CJ walks in ya know and he�s like� SERENA WHITEHEAD � he�s like, �Can I use your phone?� And I was like� SERENA WHITEHEAD � I was like, �Yeah, where�s your phone?� SERENA WHITEHEAD He�s like, �They got my phone.� And I was like, �Who?� SERENA WHITEHEAD He�s like, um, Champaign and Ben.� SERENA WHITEHEAD �They made me leave.� SERENA WHITEHEAD And he�s like �I don�t know what Ben�s problem is with me� or whatever. SERENA WHITEHEAD I was like do you want me to walk down there and get your phone? SERENA WHITEHEAD I said, �Champagne will give me your phone�. You know? SERENA WHITEHEAD Champaign was my friend. DETECTIVE GATWOOD So you felt comfortable enough going down there that you could probably get the phone without any issues right? SERENA WHITEHEAD Yeah. SERENA WHITEHEAD Yeah. SERENA WHITEHEAD So we keep walking down there, and uh, we knock on the door. SERENA WHITEHEAD Finally he opens the door he�s like �who the fuck is knocking on my door?� DETECTIVE WARREN And where was you guys at when he came out? SERENA WHITEHEAD Um, say this is the door and there's a chair right there on the porch. SERENA WHITEHEAD He opens the door, like, I back up right here. There's a pole right here� SERENA WHITEHEAD � and CJ is right here by this pole and I'm right here by the chair. SERENA WHITEHEAD And then he walks out and he saw CJ and he took a swing at CJ. SERENA WHITEHEAD And then they start fighting after he swung at CJ. DETECTIVE WARREN He hit him first... SERENA WHITEHEAD Yes. DETECTIVE WARREN Now, did CJ say anything to Ben when he came out of the house? SERENA WHITEHEAD He couldn�t even get nothing out. Like the only thing CJ said was, �Bro, I just need my phone.� SERENA WHITEHEAD They're fighting and CJ's like, �All I want is my fucking phone, bro. SERENA WHITEHEAD You�re not going to give me my phone back? That's fucked up.� SERENA WHITEHEAD And, well, CJ was getting the best of him, you know. SERENA WHITEHEAD And then like, Champagne comes� SERENA WHITEHEAD �like, and hits CJ, whatever. You know, I�m trying to� DETECTIVE GATWOOD Champagne hits CJ? SERENA WHITEHEAD Yeah. SERENA WHITEHEAD I�m trying to watch out for them dogs ya know? SERENA WHITEHEAD And as we�re walking out, after it�s all been broken up� SERENA WHITEHEAD � Ben�s like, �Watch him! Get him!.� SERENA WHITEHEAD Siccing the dogs on him. DETECTIVE WARREN So you guys were walking out, getting ready to leave the yard when he said �sic him�? SERENA WHITEHEAD Yes. SERENA WHITEHEAD At this point one jumped up and bit CJ on the face. And then CJ's like � SERENA WHITEHEAD �Get your **ing dog!� SERENA WHITEHEAD And at this point, where his dogs are getting him. SERENA WHITEHEAD And I�m going, �who the fucks going to go out there?� They�re getting all over him. SERENA WHITEHEAD And nobody�s getting the dogs. Nobody would get the dogs for nothing. DETECTIVE GATWOOD He wouldn�t get the dogs. SERENA WHITEHEAD No. DETECTIVE GATWOOD What was CJ saying while this was going on? SERENA WHITEHEAD He was crying. He was saying, please get your dog. He's crying. SERENA WHITEHEAD He was begging them to get their dog. SERENA WHITEHEAD Oh my god. SERENA WHITEHEAD They attacked him and attacked him for like ten fucking minutes. SERENA WHITEHEAD And Ben had CJ like by the neck and was grabbing him instead of the dogs. DETECTIVE WARREN Did CJ try to run? SERENA WHITEHEAD CJ made it all the way out to the driveway. And um� SERENA WHITEHEAD I�m screaming like �get your dogs!� you know and whenever I go to scream like� SERENA WHITEHEAD I don�t want the dogs coming over towards me ya know. SERENA WHITEHEAD I�m not trying to get, it was all wild out there. SERENA WHITEHEAD And then finally the neighbors like �the cops are coming!� SERENA WHITEHEAD He shot his gun up, you know. DETECTIVE WARREN So, the neighbor was the one that shot? SERENA WHITEHEAD Yeah. He shot up in the air and he 'cause like, couldn't get the dogs off. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Did they have a gun? SERENA WHITEHEAD No. DETECTIVE WARREN Alright so, did they ever at any point try to use anything to stop those dogs from attacking CJ? SERENA WHITEHEAD He was not trying to get the dogs off him. SERENA WHITEHEAD He was not trying to get the dogs off him. DETECTIVE GATWOOD So you think he intentionally used these dogs to hurt CJ, just like it's he would intentionally use a baseball bat to assault him or a gun to shoot him, or a knife to stab him? SERENA WHITEHEAD Yes. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Do you think he used these dogs as a tool to assault him or hurt him? SERENA WHITEHEAD I said, like, he didn't like the fact that CJ was like, getting him. SERENA WHITEHEAD And next thing Ben says, get em, sic� him, to his to the dog SERENA WHITEHEAD and I know one came. And the next thing, you know, all of the dogs is on him. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Sounds like a shark frenzy from that point. DETECTIVE WARREN Exactly. You wouldn't think anybody would sit there and let somebody kill� SERENA WHITEHEAD I didn�t think he was ever gonna do something like that, no. DETECTIVE WARREN Right, I'm sorry, sweetheart. I mean, uh, there wasn't any, anything you could do. I mean, you could have become a victim as well. You know what I'm saying? Thank you for coming down ok. DETECTIVE GATWOOD I feel good about what she was telling us. DETECTIVE WARREN I did too. I feel like she was being honest with us. DETECTIVE GATWOOD What is significant about this is this, Ben threw the first blow. They started fighting and CJ started to get the best of it. Then at some point there�s the dogs, the witness is like you know �lets get out of here, these dogs� and when they start to leave is when � DETECTIVE WARREN He sic�d the dogs. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Ben sic em. That�s like pulling a gun on somebody. I mean those are land sharks. DETECTIVE WHITE You don�t think that he was shot? DETECTIVE WARREN No. There was only one gunshot. And she said the neighbor fired off a round into the air. It makes sense. DETECTIVE WARREN This is going to be my dog owner. Benjamin Spence. DETECTIVE WARREN Let�s go holler at Ben. DETECTIVE WARREN Ben Jammin. BENJAMIN SPENCE Yes sir. DETECTIVE WARREN How you doing man? BENJAMIN SPENCE I�m doing alright. DETECTIVE WARREN I�m Detective Warren, and I know you Detective Gatwood. BENJAMIN SPENCE Yeah. DETECTIVE GATWOOD So, you're on federal probation right now? BENJAMIN SPENCE Absolutely. I'm a success story in the, in the probation office, I promise. I don't talk to any of my brothers, I don't do nothing, I�m getting clean� DETECTIVE GATWOOD Talk to your brothers, meaning who? BENJAMIN SPENCE Like UAB. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Where's your brand at? Alright. DETECTIVE WARREN Tell me a little bit Ben about what happened today. BENJAMIN SPENCE We were asleep in bed, she said something like someone's beating on the door. I go, as soon as I put my hand on the door and turn the door knob, the door flies open. BENJAMIN SPENCE I don't know what the hell I got hit with. BENJAMIN SPENCE I started defending myself, uh, man he started getting me back, I started to go down and then I hear, I hear my dogs come up off the couch. Woof, and, and started getting his ass. And boom, it went into the yard a little bit, but after, after my dog's got into it man, I was just trying to get my dogs up off him man. I was sitting there with a piece of fence, beating my own fucking dogs man, my children, just to help this piece of shit. DETECTIVE WARREN Thank you, I appreciate that part that you told me, but um, there was just a little bit of inconsistencies with your story and with the other couple of people that we, that we talked to, as far as them forcing their way in the house. It was more as you came �hey, who the fuck's knocking on my door this early in the morning?� BENJAMIN SPENCE Yeah, that's right, yeah. DETECTIVE WARREN Right, came out on the porch and then that's when... BENJAMIN SPENCE No, no, I ne, I never, no, uh-uh, never went on the porch. DETECTIVE WARREN Well, think about, think about what I'm saying now, I've already talked to other people and, and, and... BENJAMIN SPENCE Okay. DETECTIVE WARREN Including Champagne. BENJAMIN SPENCE No, no, no, they absolutely came in the house, yeah, 100%. DETECTIVE GATWOOD And who threw the first punch? BENJAMIN SPENCE CJ, that motherfucker swung on me first, and I was still inside my doorframe, 100%. 100% and I will testify to that, Champagne will testify to that. DETECTIVE WARREN Well.. BENJAMIN SPENCE Man, I promise you. DETECTIVE WARREN Uh, you might not want Champagne to start testifying too quick, okay, because Champagne's stories is just a little bit different, so, I'm just saying that's why, that's why we're trying to slow things down, okay. To try to get... BENJAMIN SPENCE I didn't do nothing wrong man. DETECTIVE WARREN I'm not saying that, but we still gotta.... BENJAMIN SPENCE I understand sir. DETECTIVE WARREN Somebody's, somebody's dead. BENJAMIN SPENCE CJ died? DETECTIVE WARREN CJ�s dead bro. So, now we need to, we need to get real serious about this, BENJAMIN SPENCE I understand but that's, that's how I remember it and that's what I'm sticking to man. I was in my drawers man. DETECTIVE WARREN Were you in the front yard, in your drawers, at some point? BENJAMIN SPENCE Only because I was trying to get them dogs up off of him. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Did you command them to attack him? BENJAMIN SPENCE No. Hell no. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Why would somebody say that you said, sic 'em. Why would somebody say that? BENJAMIN SPENCE Why, why would somebody say that? I honestly don't know. DETECTIVE GATWOOD The truth of the matter is, if somebody's busting in my door, acting crazy, like you're describing, and I've got a big German Shepherd, if my dog's not jumping on you, I'm probably saying, get 'em. I don't see that being so far fetched. BENJAMIN SPENCE I wouldn�t be� DETECTIVE GATWOOD And you said, he was a piece of shit. BENJAMIN SPENCE Man, he wasn't, I mean. DETECTIVE GATWOOD But that�s what you said, your words, earlier. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Had you guys ever got into it before? BENJAMIN SPENCE Uh, hell, we got into it yesterday. DETECTIVE WARREN About what? BENJAMIN SPENCE I left and I came right back, , and Champagne was asleep, and he was in her bedroom. I told CJ to leave because he�s champagne�s ex, I don�t feel comfortable with him being over there. I said, �hey homie, what the fuck are you doing?� BENJAMIN SPENCE You ain�t gonna be in my old lady�s room, alone, while she�s asleep man. BENJAMIN SPENCE And honest to God, I said, �shit, come on, let's go outside,� try to get him to square up with me. BENJAMIN SPENCE I said, alright, �you're a bitch homie.� Man he�s.. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Did y'all get in-- did you guys throw a fist? BENJAMIN SPENCE Nah, man, after that, we was cool man, we was cool after that. DETECTIVE GATWOOD What�s strange about it is, the day before, when you're confronting him in the front yard, calling him a bitch and stuff like that, you guys don't throw a fist or nothing, but then, all of a sudden, the next day, he's come busting through the door swinging on you... BENJAMIN SPENCE I know, I know, I know how it looks, I'm wouldn't-- I'm not... DETECTIVE GATWOOD Well, we're just responding to what you said, right. BENJAMIN SPENCE It's the honest to God truth man. I wish it didn't happen man. I was attacked inside my home, as soon as I opened the door, my dogs reacted and then I tried to help him. DETECTIVE WARREN Okay, sit tight. DETECTIVE WARREN In his mind I guess he believes his dogs did the right thing. But man, if a guy comes to the house, he�s looking for his cell phone; it doesn�t give you a reason to turn dogs loose on somebody. DETECTIVE GATWOOD We may have to go back to Champagne for a couple of clarification questions. DETECTIVE WARREN Champagne, we need to clear some things up, ok? DETECTIVE GATWOOD I want you to think about this 'cause it's very important, did Ben ever tell the dogs, sic� CJ? CHAMPAGNE WALKER I'm trying to think. Uh, I'm trying to think of how it all played out in my head. DETECTIVE GATWOOD 'Cause that's important. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I don't remember ever hearing that. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Ben said that, he came back home, that you were asleep in your bedroom and CJ was in there. So, he told him to go outside in the front yard and they got into it. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I don't remember that. I was asleep. DETECTIVE WARREN Ma�am, that house ain't that big. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I know. DETECTIVE GATWOOD That's just odd. DETECTIVE WARREN Alright. Well you just sit tight, Champagne. DETECTIVE GATWOOD We are going to go call one of our assistant District Attorney�s and he will decided whether or not somebody goes to jail today or we cut them loose and continue working on the investigation. DETECTIVE WARREN Perfect brother I appreciate it man. Thanks. DETECTIVE WARREN We talked it out with the DA, and based on the information we have right now, this is a unique case. He�s going to go talk to some other DA�s and see what they can come up with. DETECTIVE WARREN We got one side saying one thing and we got the other side saying another thing. And nobody was actually shot. DETECTIVE WARREN Right now those dogs are the weapon. And we are trying to determine whether he sic�d the dogs on him or whether these dogs were able to follow a command or whether these dogs did it out of pure instinct. And it�s kinda hard to prove because obviously dogs can�t talk. DETECTIVE WARREN I appreciate it man, thanks. DETECTIVE WARREN The day before this happened, officers were out there on these three dogs. These dogs scratched a kid. Killed some next door neighbor�s chickens and then the officer noticed this guy had complete control over these dogs and they responded to his commands. He said the officer noted If he told them to heel, they would heel. DETECTIVE GATWOOD In my career of thirty years I haven�t known anybody to basically kill somebody with dogs, this is very rare. It�s usually knifes and guns, not dogs. DETECTIVE WARREN Well in the beginning I wasn�t sure because maybe a fight broke out and these dogs saw that someone was getting the best of their owner and then they jumped in and attacked which would make sense but he had shown his control over those dogs. I�m going to talk to the DA about this but I think they will see what I see. VICKIE CUMMINGS CJ loved Nascar, he loved fishing. He loved life, he smiled all the time. He just was on the wrong path and he was a drug addict. And he wasn�t ashamed to tell you that but he was ashamed to be that for me and him. That morning my son packed his bag up to get clean and he wrote �Just hold on guys I�m coming. I�ll get it together so all ya�ll can be proud. And when this life is over, I want it to say high score�. That�s when he made the decision to go to Champagne�s to get his phone. ROBERT CUMMINGS He would be here today if he didn�t make the decision to go over there. ROBERT CUMMINGS It�s devastating for all of us. I mean to go in the room to identify him knowing that he had been mauled was probably the toughest thing I have done in my life. VICKIE CUMMINGS CJ, he was my only son, I never got to kiss him goodbye, nothing, nothing! Because of the way he looked. Going your whole life knowing that I never got to kiss him goodbye, It's heart wrenching. DETECTIVE WARREN Right now we are going to interview suspect�s girlfriend Champagne again. DETECTIVE WARREN Hey Champagne, how you doing? CHAMPAGNE WALKER I'm good, how are you? DETECTIVE WARREN Hey, we appreciate you coming back down to talk to us again. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I emailed you guys because it doesn't seem right, it doesn't...I don't know. It's just fucked up man. And, I�m scared. CHAMPAGNE WALKER I've cried for like the past like, I don't know, like three days. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Right. You look like...the world's just fell on top of you. DETECTIVE GATWOOD So who had CJ�s phone? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Well I, I think it was the phone that you guys took off of Ben. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Did you know that Ben had CJ's phone? CHAMPAGNE WALKER I had no idea. DETECTIVE WARREN Had you and CJ been communicating? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yeah. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Did you have some texts between you and CJ? CHAMPAGNE WALKER I mean probably yeah. DETECTIVE GATWOOD So stuff like, maybe that would have pissed Ben off like, sweet messages. CHAMPAGNE WALKER Just normal messages would have pissed Ben off. DETECTIVE GATWOOD He probably was just boiling. DETECTIVE WARREN Uh huh, going through that phone. DETECTIVE WARREN Did Ben ever, ever try to get those dogs off of CJ? CHAMPAGNE WALKER After it was too late. I told him to pull him in the house to get him away from the dogs. And after he pulled him into the house, he picked up the big tv and he threw it at CJ. It hit right by his face and I was like what the fuck? What is wrong with you? DETECTIVE GATWOOD What was CJ doing? Just laying there? CHAMPAGNE WALKER He was just laying there. DETECTIVE GATWOOD He couldn't defend himself at that point? CHAMPAGNE WALKER No. DETECTIVE WARREN How much help did Ben try to give to CJ while CJ was laying in the, in the, in that floor bleeding to death? CHAMPAGNE WALKER None. I mean none. DETECTIVE GATWOOD When was the last time CJ was at your house? CHAMPAGNE WALKER I was just hanging out with him the day before. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Where were the dogs? CHAMPAGNE WALKER They were there. The dogs liked I mean.. DETECTIVE GATWOOD They liked CJ. CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yeah. He, he could play with them, be all up in their face and everything. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Now again, did you ever hear um, Ben like, give those dogs any kind of commands to do anything or not? CHAMPAGNE WALKER I really didn't hear. I seen him point and that's when the dogs attacked. DETECTIVE WARREN Attacked? So you saw Ben point? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yeah like towards CJ. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Were they not attacking till he pointed? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Yeah. That's when they attacked CJ. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Have you ever seen him give a command before like, point? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Actually I have. When he tells them to get in the Jeep, he'll point. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Did Ben have issues or any problems with CJ? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Uh, yeah. I have this text message from the day before CHAMPAGNE WALKER It says I guess you don't wanna answer my phone calls since you up in the room alone with CJ. So on both my dead brothers if he's there when I get back, I'm stabbing him right in his fucking face and you better not say nothing to him. That was the day before. DETECTIVE WARREN So he already had a problem with CJ being over there. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Why was CJ there and Ben not? CHAMPAGNE WALKER Because I...I, I like, I mean, I loved CJ. We had just broken up. Like and any time CJ was hungry or if he was cold or anything he knew he could come over. DETECTIVE GATWOOD So CJ, he was welcome over to your house. CHAMPAGNE WALKER He didn't deserve that, nobody does, nobody does but he, he really didn't. It was the worst thing I've ever seen in my entire life. DETECTIVE WARREN You watched CJ die literally, you watched him die. CHAMPAGNE WALKER It was horrible. I just wish� I don't know what else I could--. DETECTIVE WARREN By you coming forward today and telling us what you've been telling us you're helping yourself move forward and move ahead of this. This was a bad thing. CHAMPAGNE WALKER It was horrible. DETECTIVE WARREN She�s in love with this guy. And I think Ben found out about it, which he did. That�s why he had his phone. Man, Ben never offered this guy any help. Ben threatened to stab him the day before. The opportunity came up where he came over the next day looking for his phone and they started fighting. And the rest is history. DETECTIVE WARREN I typed all the information up and sent it to the District Attorney and they felt there was enough evidence to go ahead and issue a warrant for Mr. Spence. It�s going to be for second degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Those will be the two charges we charge Mr. Spence with. DETECTIVE BRAD SHARPE Alright, here we go. DETECTIVE GATWOOD Hey, is he still out there? Yeah, yeah. DETECTIVE GATWOOD So we will be there shortly. Alright bye. DETECTIVE BRAD SHARPE Benjamin Spence, We have a history with him, he�s on federal probation and he�s always been difficult. DETECTIVE BRAD SHARPE It should be right here. OFFICER RADIO Alright Brad, I�m behind you. DETECTIVE BRAD SHARPE So there he is. OFFICER RADIO We got the front covered. OFFICER RADIO He�s in the house so lock it down. OFFICER PA Open the door now and come out the front. OFFICER RADIO He�s in custody. BENJAMIN SPENCE Come on brother this is bullshit bro. Hey listen, I�m a felon I can�t have no pistols, this motherfucker is beating on my door at five in the morning and forced his way in and my fucking dogs fucking attacked him. That�s bullshit man, why would I even get charged for that!? BENJAMIN SPENCE The only reason this is putting on me is because Gatwood�s bitchass worked out west or whatever. I�m ready to go to county and tear some shit up with my brothers lets roll. Hey shut the fucking door and get me to county man. Bitch with the camera! DETECTIVE WARREN As far as the interview is concerned, I probably wont interview him because I don�t need to hear the same story twice. When Ben let those dogs loose I think he was enraged enough to really, really, want to hurt CJ and it went a little further than I think he believed it would go. And CJ received injuries over 95 percent of his body. CJ legitimately was going to try to get his phone back and it went bad. And that ultimately led to his death. DETECTIVE WARREN I totally believe it was a love triangle. Because Champagne, I think she had a better relationship with CJ than she actually did with Ben. So that probably added to his rage and his anger against CJ. I think this is a unique case because I think this is the first case anybody has ever heard of where a dog was intentionally used as a weapon to kill someone. I love dogs and I love pit-bulls especially, they get a bad rap because of things like this. The dogs were put down because they were involved in this and I believe once these dogs have been involved in something like this I don�t think there is any coming back from that. And unfortunately doing what they were told to do, it cost them their life. VICKIE CUMMINGS Oh my God. ROBERT CUMMINGS This is CJ�s dog, this is boss. VICKIE CUMMINGS When he came into the house, Boss would whine and scream like a baby and that dog would jump right into his arms. VICKIE CUMMINGS We have always been dog people. CJ, he�s had pit bulls since he was six or seven. Pitbulls, that�s our dogs of choice. I don�t blame the dogs at all, it�s totally the owner. Ben Spence, he could have got them dogs off my son at any time. CURSTIE WICKHAM CJ would have been like it wasn�t them; it wasn�t their fault. I don�t think he would have wanted them to be put down. It was Ben, it was him. KIM SOWELL BAKER In the end, CJ was to the point that he was ready to do what he needed to do to get himself together, and somebody robbed him of that opportunity. We will never have closure; all we have are these pictures. STACIE CAMPBELL He was ready to take that step to get in the right direction to fix his life. He had it in him, and that morning he went in a body casket instead. VICKIE CUMMINGS When we let the balloons go we are going to scream high score because that�s what CJ wanted. At the end he wanted it to say high score. One, two, three, high score! I love you. High score CJ. NARRATEUR A rural neighborhood on tulsa�s west side� The caller says the screams are coming from her neighbors house. First responders arrive and find a man who has been mauled by dogs. They rush him to the e.r�. But doctors are unable to save him. For homicide detectives their chance of solving a murder is cut in half if they don�t Get a lead within the first 48 hours. Det. Reggie warren, a 25-year-veteran of tulsa pd, will lead the investigation. 25-year-old curtis wickham jr. Was born and raised in west tulsa. Known as �Cj�, he was the youngest of four children. He attended berryhill high School and planned to work with his dad in the heating and air conditioning Industry. Cj leaves behind his mother, stepfather, and three sisters. Champagne�s new boyfriend, who owns the dogs, put them in his car before police Arrived. Benjamin spence and the homeowner, champagne, will be brought to homicide. According to champagne, Cj�s friend fled the scene when he was attacked. A blood trail stretches from the front door to the road. Because Cj was so badly injured during the dog attack, the team will have to wait for The autopsy report to find out if he was shot. When officer�s asked benjamin spence if they could remove the dogs and search his Car, he refused. The team will secure a warrant to search benjamin�s car. Animal control will take custody of the dogs. Officers get a tip that Cj�s friend, who fled the scene, is hiding out at a friends house. Before leaving the crime scene, officer�s collected the victim�s phone from benjamin�s Pocket. Detectives start with Cj�s ex-girlfriend, champagne. She says Cj accused benjamin of stealing his cell phone. She says she and Cj started dating three months ago. Acting on a tip, patrol tracked down Cj�s female friend who fled the scene and Brought her to homicide. She says that, earlier in the morning, she was at a friends house, a few blocks from Where Cj was killed. Cj told her that benjamin chased him from champagne�s house yesterday, and he left His phone behind. She says benjamin answered the door in a rage. She says benjamin threw the first punch. She says Cj was clearly winning the fight with benjamin. She confirms that a neighbor fired a shot to scare off the dogs. Neither benjamin nor champagne had a gun. Benjamin spence has prior convictions for burglary, assaulting a police officer, and Felon in possession of a firearm. He�s currently on federal probation. Ben says he belongs to the universal aryan brotherhood, a neo-nazi prison gang. He claims that as he opened the door, Cj barged in� And struck him in the head with an unidentified object. He says he tried to get Cj to fight him but Cj walked away. Benjamin will be released while the team waits to find out how the d.a. wants to Handle the case. The next afternoon� Warren gets a lead from animal control officers who are familiar with benjamin�s Dogs. In the first 48� Tulsa homicide responded to the brutal killing of curtis �Cj� wickham who was Attacked by three pitbulls. Learned from the victim�s ex-girlfriend that the dogs attacked Cj when he got into a Fight with her new boyrfriend, benjamin spence. Spoke to a witness who said that benjamin spence commanded the dogs to attack Cj. And presented the case to the d.a. to find out if benjamin should be charged with Murder. Five days into the investigation� Champagne e-mailed detective warren over night saying she wants to talk. After searching for benjamin spence for three weeks without any luck� Gatwood gets a tip on his whereabouts. Fugitive warrants makes contact with someone inside the house and learns benjamin Is there. Ten months after Cj�s death� His family gathers to remember him. 5 hours in� The team discovers a .22 caliber rifle casing several yards from the house. 38